New lens purchase: Nikon 50mm 1.8

I didn't really need it. But I wanted it and Nikon was offering a $20 rebate. So I plopped down $200 and picked up the Nikon 50mm 1.8g lens recently to use on my Nikon D5100 (and possibly a future camera!). The above are a few of my initial efforts with the lens featuring Sammy the Dog as my involuntary model.




Actually, it wasn't entirely a purchase spurred only by Camera Gear Acquisition Syndrome. I justified the purchase with this reasoning: I wanted a fast portrait lens capable of producing some decent bokeh. The 50mm lens is built for FX cameras and on my DX camera has an angle of view equivalent to a 75mm lens on FX -- which is in the range that many photographers like for portraits.

Yeah, the 50mm 1.4G lens may have been a smarter purchase for this purpose (and my camera), but it would have cost another couple hundred bucks -- and I already spent that money on a new external flash :)

As for the new lens, I'm pleased thus far. The bokeh looks nice enough. A few more samples:













All in all, the lens is not amazingly different from my 35mm 1.8 lens, but it's probably a little better for portraits due to the greater focal length and maybe a little better bokeh. I've taken a few other photos of friends not shown here that turned out nice, too -- so the 50mm 1.8 will be fun to use on the D5100. I do recommend playing around with apertures as it may not always look best shooting wide open at f/1.8.

I think the lens will be especially good if I ever get the balls to buy the D600 or Df full frame camera that I think I want. 

I also see some chromatic aberration at times -- but it has been mostly easy to fix in Lightroom using the lens correction function. 

Please see more of my work on my SmugMug site, where prints and licensing is available.

--S.H.

All photos ©Steve Hymon and may not be used elsewhere without my advanced written permission. All rights reserved.